Third Wheels
by pandora1017
Summary: Jeff's found the love of his life... and Matt's lost his best friend. Now what? [*Heedy-beedy* slashy...]
1. Prologue

Title: "Third Wheels"  
Author: pandora1017  
Rating: PG-13  
Content: Slash-ish. Not a lot.  
Comments: Um, I started to write a story with Matt muse, but my other musi got jealous and tried to take it over, so this is kinda a combination of a couple ideas I've [they've] been toying with for a while. This is kinda a timeless story because it's using current hockey line-ups, but pre-roster split WWF characters. Also, Lita doesn't seem to exist in this story, as her being Matt's [quote-unquote] best friend wouldn't mesh too well with what I'm going for. And I know that Matt's not really shy. [Funny, I apologize for making him shy but not for making him bisexual... that's interesting in and of itself...] *shrug* I guess I'm taking more liberties than I'm used to. Just ignore the inaccuracies. Sorry. :-D

Characters: [Who I don't own. But if I did... let's just say Matt wouldn't have the problem he had in the story. ;-)]  
Matt = Matt Hardy  
Jeff = Jeff Hardy  
Adam = Adam Copeland = Edge  
Jay = Jason Reso = Christian

.

It had been a long day.

With a sigh, I twisted the knob of the shower and let the steaming hot water smack against my chest. My muscles relaxed with the heat. I hadn't realized how sore I was from my match at this house show tonight. I turned around and let the warm water slide through my hair and relax the muscles in my back, too. Felt nice. I must have stood there for five full minutes, motionless. I was finally distracted from my blissful calm by muffled voices and laughter. That would be my brother.

"Jeff?" I asked, calling over the noise of the water. I grabbed a little bottle of shampoo and started washing my hair.

"Matt?" He asked back, uncertainly, from the other side of the locker room.

"Yeah, s'me."

"You ready t' leave soon?"

I smiled to myself, surprised that Jeff wanted to wait for me. "Yeah, I'll only be a couple more minutes."

Lately, I hadn't been talking to Jeff that often. He'd fallen in love. When I first got to the WWF, I'd crushed slightly on the stunning blonde, Adam Copeland, but I never really acted on it. I was... well, **am** kind of shy. So while I was trying to subtly catch his eye, my flamboyant little brother waltzed in and stole him away from me. Jeff had known that I had liked him, but Adam and Jeff had fallen in love. And I was kind of kicked to the curb. But I wasn't **that** mad. If those two were happy, that was the important thing. They were cute together. Really. I credited all those little pangs of sorrow I felt when I saw them together to being sad that Jeff had taken someone he knew I had liked. But, like I said, I wasn't going to let that get between Jeff and I.

Of course, it didn't take me long to figure out that I wasn't jealous of Jeff. I was jealous of Adam. He'd stolen my best friend. I was sometimes labelled a 'loner,' but just because I was usually too shy to just start talking to new people. That didn't matter when Jeff was around, though. Jeff and I knew each other backwards and forwards. We had inside jokes that only we laughed at and I knew that I'd never get bored hanging out with him. But since Jeff had found Adam... my time with Jeff was severely cut.

I mean, it wasn't a bad thing. Now, after the shows, I get to unwind with just myself and Sports Center. But things were awfully quiet by myself. And it was ice hockey season, the one sport I really couldn't get into. I bet Adam was turning Jeff into an ice hockey fan.

How long had it been now? Two years? I missed just turning on a radio and talking with Jeff about anything and everything until we passed out for the night. I missed the joyriding around random towns when we were too wired to sleep. I missed our inside jokes. Now his inside jokes were inside with Adam. I sighed, realizing that Adam was most likely out there in the locker room with him.

"Well, I was thinkin' that I might go back t' the hotel with Adam an' Jay. D'ya have the keys t' the rental?"

I sighed. I hated this. It really hurt, realizing that he didn't want to spend as much time with me as he did with Adam. But I didn't want to tell him. He was happy, and I wanted him to be happy.

But I wasn't happy.

"Yeah. I got 'em."

"Cool. See ya later, man."

"See ya," I muttered, knowing that Jeff wasn't too concerned that he couldn't hear me. As if to confirm that, I heard the heavy slamming of the locker room door as he left.

They left, I sadly reminded myself.

Finishing rinsing myself off, I shut off the water, dryed off, and went back to the locker room to get dressed. It was empty. Once again, here I was, alone. I didn't mind being by myself, usually. Sometimes I even enjoyed it. But sometimes I just wanted someone to talk to. Even if it wasn't Jeff. But there was no one here. I finished getting my things together in silence, found the keys to the rental car in my jacket pocket, slung my duffel bag over my shoulder, and left.

Maybe I'd run into someone interesting between here and the parking lot. But I wasn't going to hold my breath.


	2. Game Six [1/6]

There were baseball scores on. I wasn't that interesting in baseball, really. But it was better than ice hockey. Jeff was a Braves fan.

I turned off the T.V.

With a groan, I got up and stretched, looking for something to entertain myself with. Clock radio? I turned it on, scanning for a good song. Not much out there. Hey, Pearl Jam! I left it there and started to dig through my bag for my book. I had started to read those Lord of the Ring books just 'cause I figured it would kill a lot of time. _The Hobbit_ had dragged, but _The Fellowship of the Ring_ was a little better. I was in the middle of that now. I settled back on the bed, flipping on a lamp to read. The song on the radio, _Daughter_, was ending, but this was one of those 'Block Party' weekends, they informed me, and started spinning 'Given to Fly.' Jeff's favorite song.

I turned off the radio.

I grabbed my bag again, this time digging around for my discman and finding it successfully. I'd just listen to my new Tool CD, I decided. I turned it up loud enough to permanantly damage my hearing and slid on the headphones.

"This should be an entertainin' evenin'," I muttered to myself, dryly. Back to Rivendell with Tool.

I had just finally lost myself in the book and music when there was a pounding on my door. I didn't notice it at first 'cause the music was too loud, but when the music got quieter, I heard it. I jumped up, surprised, and slid the headphones off my head, going to the door.

"Open up, Matt! C'mon! Let me in!"

I began to wonder how long Jay'd been knocking. From the way he was knocking, it must have been something important. My mind ran through the possibilities. Something happened to Jeff. Something happened to Adam. Something happened to Adam **and** Jeff.

I opened the door, and blinked at Jay. He gave me a brief once over, noticing the blank look, the headphones around my neck, the book in my hand, the relaxed attire - board shorts and an old Hardyz shirt - then shoved past me without a word and grabbed the remote from the end of the bed.

"Can you believe it?" he asked, incredulous, as he flipped on the T.V. "Game six, Toronto in the playoffs, and Adam and Jeff kick me out! Thanks for letting me watch with you."

"I... ah..." I stuttered, still standing at the door. Jay laid on his stomach on my bed, facing the T.V. and making himself comfortable.

"Not my fault Adam's stupid Devils got beat in the first series. All of a sudden he doesn't care about hockey anymore?"

"Well, I..."

"You know it gets bad when Adam chooses Jeff over hockey," Jay groaned, kicking off his sandals, then started yelling at the T.V. "No! What the hell?! Get the puck out of there! No! Yes! Sweet save!"

Jay was going a mile a minute, but eventually slowed and started muttering at the game. I finally shut my gaping jaw and crossed over to sit on the end of the bed next to him. Well, I guess it was better than sitting alone. At least this was company. And he seemed to feel the same way about Adam that I was currently feeling about Jeff.

"So, Jay -"

"Not during the game, kid." Jay cut me off abruptly, patting my knee distractedly. I rolled my eyes at him with a smile. Ok, not the same as Jeff, but still, it was better than being alone.

After a few moments, the action stopped on the ice so I tried speaking to him again. I mean, if I was going to watch ice hockey, I might as well know what was going on. "What quarter is this?"

"Period."

"What?"

"Not **quarters**, **periods**. There's three of them. This is the end of the second."

"Oh."

"You don't like hockey?" Jay asked, still distracted.

"Oh, it's fine, it's just..."

"Not football, huh?"

I smiled. "Football is straightforward. Football's excitin'."

"Typical American. This isn't exciting?" Jay asked, pointing at the screen. There were two ice hockey players beating the crap out of each other.

"I think that falls under the 'not straightforward' catagory. Shouldn't the refs stop them?"

"They will, eventually." Jay shrugged. "And not straightforward? What the hell is a 'down' anyway?"

"It's when the ball -"

"Not during the game," Jay cut me off again as the players lined up on the ice and started again. Back and forth across the rink. Hitting the puck. Hitting each other. Hitting the walls. It just seemed so random. And no one ever scored anything. Just back and forth. And Jay yelling or muttering cryptic comments.

"Who are the teams?" I asked suddenly.

"Leafs and 'Canes," Jay answered, not taking his eyes off the game.

"Come again?"

Jay sighed and started again in a condescending tone, "The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes."

"Carolina? We have an ice hockey team?"

"It's not 'ice hockey,' it's **hockey**."

"Um..."

"And, yeah, those chumpstains in the red are from Raleigh."

"Really?" I asked, perking up. "Who's winnin'?"

"Tied, zero-zero," Jay answered, getting into the game. The action was moving towards the goalie in the red and Jay sat up higher, propping himself up on his elbows. "Go! Go! No! Hey! Cheap shot! Roughing!"

I laughed slightly as he yelled at the T.V. The puck went back to the other side of the rink, but a whistle blew and everyone stopped.

"What's that?"

"Sundin got checked. Shoulda been roughing, but they didn't call it."

"Why'd they stop?"

"Icing."

"Icin'?"

Jay sighed. "O'Neill hit the puck from his defensive blue line and it went all the way past Cujo without anyone touching it."

"What?" I asked again, confused.

"See that guy there?" He asked, slightly annoyed, pointing to a guy in a red and white jersey that the camera was focusing on now. He had an ugly black eye and wasn't looking too happy.

"Yeah."

"O'Neill. He's a Hurricane. He hit the puck to get it away from Irbe..." he stopped, noticing my blank look out of the corner of his eye. "...Irbe's the goalie for Carolina... to get it away from Irbe's crease in a desperation move, but no one stopped it. It just sailed past that line by Toronto's goal. If it crosses from the far blue line past the opposite goal, it's icing."

"Oh." I said, not understaning half that. "Now what?"

"A face off. Sundin and... O'Neill, I think, will try to knock the puck to their guys."

"Who's Sundin?"

"Who's Sundin?!" Jay repeated, finally turning to me, incredulous. "Who's Sundin? Mats Sundin, the captain of the Maple Leafs! Just back, fresh of an injury, ready to play for the Stanley Cup!"

"Number thirteen would have sufficed," I muttered, noticing him skate up across O'Neill. Jay rolled his eyes at me again, going back to the game.

A couple more seconds passed, then a buzzer sounded. "What's that?"

"Intermission," Jay answered, laying down flat on his stomach and closing his eyes.

"Intermission?"

"Haven't you ever watched hockey before?" Jay asked, rolling on his side to look at me.

"Um..."

"Jesus..." He groaned, obviously annoyed.

"A couple times! Hey, I didn't say t' come here t' watch the game," I shrugged. Jay sighed, rolling onto his back, and leaned his head back to watch the 'Intermission Report' upside down. I watched him for a minute, then added. "I guess you're just goin' t' have t' explain it t' me."

"Ok," Jay said, shrugging and looking back at me. "You know what a playoff series is?"

"Like in baseball?"

"You like baseball?"

"Nah, Jeff does."

"Shoulda figured. Yeah, like in baseball. Best of seven series. This is game six. Carolina has three, Toronto, two."

"So if Carolina wins this game they win it all?" I asked, innocently.

"Well, first, Carolina's **not** going to win. And second, no. This is still the playoffs. The Stanley Cup series is after this. Whoever wins this series goes on to play the winners of the Western Conference playoffs. For the cup."

"Oh." Despite my questions, that meant nothing to me.

"Yeah. Basically, the object is to get the puck in the goal. But Cujo's insane, so Carolina doesn't stand a chance."

"Cujo?"

Jay gave me that death glare that told me I should have know what 'Cujo' is.

"Curtis Joseph? Toronto's killer goalie? He has fifteen playoff shut outs. This could very well be sixteen."

"Shut out?"

"He doesn't let any pucks past him. Like a shut out in baseball - no points."

"Oh. Well, Carolina must be pretty good, too, if they got this far."

Jay gave me a dirty look. I just grinned and got up to sit at the top of my bed again, with my book, trying to finish the chapter. I set down my discman, set the headphones on my shoulders and turned the music down low. We didn't speak for a while, Jay rolling back over to watch the quiet intermission report and me reading. Again, not the same as with Jeff. Maybe that was a good thing. I didn't really want a replacement for Jeff, just another friend. Why hadn't I thought to start talking to Jay a while ago? It made a lot of sense. I realized I'd been staring at him and went back to my book with a quiet sigh.

"Got anything to eat?"

I looked up, surprised. He must have looked to me just as I looked away. I shook my head no, watching him blankly. That was random. He frowned slightly, started digging around in his pocket, producing a piece of gum. He looked at it, shortly, then over his shoulder to me again. "Want half?"

"How long's that been in y' pocket?"

Instead of answering, he just shrugged and ripped it in half, holding some out to me. I took it, half smiling. Jay had never seemed as approachable as Adam, but I knew from how Adam was that Jay must have been a good guy. I knew he was funny as hell. Despite hockey prejudices, we seemed to be getting along pretty well, I thought. It seemed that we had something in common - Adam and Jeff. He hadn't said it directly, but from his earlier comments, I thought that maybe he was feeling like a third wheel, too. I wondered if Adam was treating him like Jeff was treating me.

"What are you listening to?"

Again, he startled me. "Tool. Y' like Tool?"

"S'ok. The new album? Is it any good?"

"I like it. Want t' listen?"

"Nah..." he shugged and turned back to the T.V. Yeah, he was random. I smiled. I got the feeling that maybe spending freetime with Jay might be pretty entertaining. After a bit, the game came back on. I pretended to still be reading my book, but it was getting kind of slow and I didn't want to waste time I could be spending to make a new friend. Jay, however, was completely oblivious to me when the game came back. He would yell at the T.V. a lot. I tried to pick up some of what was going on. Apparantly, 'Cujo' had made a 'glorious' save. That made Jay happy. I finally set down the book, grabbed the two pillows, crawled back down the bed to sit by Jay, and offered him one. "How's it goin'?"

"Still tied at zero," he said, taking the pillow from me with a quick smile and propped himself up with it.

"So is our goalie as good as Cujo, then, or does Toronto's offense just suck?"

Jay's jaw dropped as he turned to look at me. "Excuse me?"

"I said -"

"Don't," Jay warned, severely. I grinned.

"Huh, guess their defense isn't so great, either," I added, pointing at the T.V. They were replaying a goal scored by the Carolina player Jay had pointed out to me earlier.

"What the...?! Dammit! No!"

I grinned as Jay threw a small tantrum, slightly reminiscent of Christian's tantrums. The Carolina guys were skating around, hugging O'Neill, and I grinned. Jay just glared.

"Since when are they 'your' team, anyway?"

"They're kinda growin' on me..."

"Convenient," Jay muttered, dryly.

"Hey, I'm just bein' loyal t' the good ol' boys."

"Whatever," Jay muttered. We fell silent again. There were only a couple more minutes left.

"Looks like Carolina's gonna win it, huh?"

"It's not over yet," Jay informed me, looking slightly defeated. I just laughed and layed down next to Jay, propping myself up with the other pillow to watch the last minute and a half.

"If they didn't score a goal in the past two hours, what makes y' think they'll get one in the last minute?" I asked with a smirk.

"Fuck you, Matt. You don't even like hock - YES!" Jay sat up suddenly, pumping a fist in excitement as Toronto scored a goal. It had been an ugly goal, with almost every player practically standing on top of the goal. But after everything was cleared out, the puck was sitting in the goal. Twenty seven seconds on the clock. "Did you see that? Did you see that?"

"What the hell was that?"

"It was perfect! They pulled Cujo, overmanned Carolina, knocked it to Sundin who just tapped it in. Irbe didn't stand a chance! Heh!" I couldn't help but smile. Jay was grinning like crazy. "I told you it wasn't over!"

"So now what?"

"Sudden death overtime! We are so totally going to game seven!"

So, it wasn't wholly a gimmick, I thought to myself with a smile. "Hey, Carolina can score, too."

Jay just glared as the last few seconds ticked off and Toronto made one last fruitless advance. "No way, no way."

The game cut to another intermission and Jay and I watched intently. I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath. Funny, I never expected to be that interested in a hockey game. It was more intense than I had expected. Even if you watched for two hours and no one scored, those last ten minutes had two goals and they were intense. Jay had been presumptious. I wasn't that big of a football fan. I'd played a little in high school, but didn't really follow the NFL. But I could see myself becoming a NHL fan. But that didn't mean I was going to grow a mullet, I thought to myself with a smile, noticing how all the 'specialists' - or who ever they were on the intermission report - were sporting the hideous style. I didn't understand the whole intermission report, but I picked up pieces here and there. They seemed to think Carolina was going to win.

When they were about to cut back to the game, I heard voices in the hall, laughing, then hushing. Jay didn't move at all, but I watched the door out of the corner of my eye. The lock clicked and Jeff and Adam stumbled in, Jeff saying quietly, "Shh, I don't want to wake -... oh."

I turned to those two, half smiling and waved shortly as the players lined up for a face off. Adam and Jeff watched us, wide-eyed. I guess it did seem pretty weird. Jay and I didn't usually hang out, but here we were, laying side-by-side, watching T.V. Jeff sputtered a bit, then, "Hey, Matt, I thought you'd be -"

"Not during the game," Jay cut him off. I grinned and turned back to the T.V. The Leafs had just won the face off and were skating towards Irbe. I was picking this up pretty quickly. Adam and Jeff had fallen silent, shocked. I looked at them out of the corner of my eye and caught them exchanging smiles.

"Who's winning?" Adam finally asked. He boldly crossed the room, in front of the T.V., causing Jay to scowl, and sat on the floor at the foot of the bed in front of Jay. Jeff followed suit and sat in front of me.

"Tied, overtime," I answered, realizing that Jay wasn't paying attention. Jeff looked at me, surprised. He knew that I'd never paid attention to hockey before.

"Who's playin'?" Jeff asked, blankly.

"Leafs and 'Canes," Jay answered shortly. That meant nothing to Jeff, I know.

"Carolina's about t' eliminate Toronto from the playoffs," I clarified.

Adam turned to me, wide-eyed, apparantly surprised that I'd said that in front of Jay. Jay just scowled. "You a Hurricanes fan?"

"I've become one recently."

"Bandwagonner," Jay coughed. I grinned.

"Carolina?" Jeff asked, about five minutes behind us. "We have an ice hockey team?"

"**Hockey** team," I corrected, earning a grin from Jay. "Pretty damn good one."

"Pretty damn good was that goal Toronto just scored," Jay corrected me. Adam grinned this time. He seemed very amused.

"Too bad they won't be doin' that again this season."

Jay glared again, but I just smirked, keeping my eyes on the game. We sat in silence for a couple minutes, the only sounds being the T.V. and Jay's random muttering. Jeff stood up abruptly, bored, I assumed, and went over to where he'd dropped his luggage earlier. Adam watched him go, but Jay and I didn't pay attention. A few more minutes passed and a couple close calls. I joined Jay in the muttering, but we started to get louder as the time passed.

"Go, go, come on, guys, just one more goal..."

"Y' gotta get these guys outta the way, come on..."

"Sweet! Saved! That's it, Cujo!"

"Hey! Goalie! Get back in front of the goal!"

"He's out of the crease! Cream him!"

"Hey!" I yelled, pointing at a particularly hard take down of Carolina's goalie, Irbe. "What the hell was that?"

"If he gets out of his crease, he's fair game," Jay answered with a smirk.

"His crease?"

"That blue thing in front of the goal."

"That doesn't seem fair..."

"What are you complaining about? We still didn't score..." Jay muttered.

"Still... hey! That's it!" I said, grinning as the puck once again slipped past Cujo. I turned to Jay with a smug grin. He was staring at the T.V., slackjawed, not moving at all. Adam and I exchanged confused glances. Jay looked frozen.

"Um, Jay, man?" Adam asked, waving his hand in front of Jay's face.

"No!" he screamed, causing Jeff to jump in surprise. Adam and I started laughing, but Jay just moaned. "They made it so far... they just got back all their injured players, Quinn just came back...fucking Carolina..."

Adam set a consoling hand on Jay's arm, but he couldn't hide a toothy grin. I was smirking, too. Frustrated, Jay grabbed the remote, violently shut off the T.V., and dropped his head on the pillow in front of him. Jeff came back over, having changed into more relaxed clothes, and looked over Jay with an amused smile.

"So, um, Jay," I began slowly with an evil smile crossing my face. "Goin' t' watch the finals with me?"

Jay looked up at me quickly with a death glare. "Like hell."

He got up, angrily grabbed his sandals, and stormed out the door muttering, "Imagine, watching the finals with a Carolina fan..."

Adam and I started laughing as Jeff sat next to me with a confused look.

"Made a new friend?"

I just smiled. 


	3. Wal-Mart [2/6]

_Same old, same old,_ I thought, grabbing the remote and flopping onto the bed and flipping on ESPN. _Only this time, I like hockey._

It had been the same as always. Jeff went with Adam after the show. I came back to the hotel, showered, changed into comfortable lounging clothes, and was ready to start watching the Stanley Cup finals. It was the first game, about half way through the second period. I dextrously grabbed a pillow from the top of the bed with my feet and fed it to my hands to prop myself up with. I guess I could go to sleep early tonight, after the game. Too bad Jay was still mourning Toronto's loss. Speaking of, there was a petulant knocking on the door.

"Let me in, man."

I grinned as I got up to answer the door. Maybe he'd changed his mind about the hockey game. I opened the door, grinned at Jay, and went back to the bed to watch the game.

"Hey, I'm -"

"Not durin' the game," I warned with a smirk. Before I knew what was going on, Jay had snatched the remote from my hand and turned off the T.V. "Hey!"

"Carolina's gonna lose, let's go."

I looked up at him confused. "Where are we goin'? And how d' you know Carolina's gonna lose?"

"Wal-Mart," Jay announced unceremoniously. "And because they're a bunch of chumpstains."

I looked at him blankly.

"I'm hungry. There's a Wal-Mart across the street. We're getting food."

"At a Wal-Mart?"

"Any better ideas?"

I shrugged, still confused, and Jay headed towards the door.

"Coming?"

I looked back to the T.V. with a sigh and rolled off the bed. "I think we should place bets on the game."

"I'd hate to take money from a poor, unlearned, new hockey fan," Jay said with a smirk as I slid on some shoes and followed him.

"Oh, so you were plannin' on bettin' on Carolina, too?"

-

And that's how we ended up at Wal-Mart. Somehow, though, we weren't in the food section. We were in the magazine section. The store was surprisingly empty and we'd mostly been left alone so far. Jay was flipping through a _Maxim_ magazine and I had picked up the latest _Rolling Stone_. Looking up from my magazine, I noticed that Jay was flipping past the pictoral spread of Jamie Pressly and was diligently skimming the articles. I'm not sure why that amused me. Setting the magazine back in the rack, I looked at Jay.

"I thought y' were hungry."

"Are you in a hurry?" Jay asked, not looking up from his magazine.

"Well, no, but..."

"Then let's go look at the toys," Jay answered quickly, shutting the magazine and returning it to the shelf.

"Toys?"

"Yeah," Jay responded over his shoulder as I caught up with him.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty -... Fuck you, Matt."

I grinned.

"Hey, you're not objecting too much, are you?"

I shrugged and started to respond, but we came to a row of action figures and Jay's eyes lit up. "Ooh, _Star Wars_!"

I stuffed my hands in my pockets and leaned against a display of salad shooters, waiting for Jay. After looking over the action figures, he noticed my bored look. "Don't tell me you've never killed time in a Wal-Mart, Carolina."

"In th' South," I overly drawled for effect, "We use Wal-Marts f' functional purposes, like shoppin'. Not novelty, like y'city folk."

Jay rolled his eyes, "Fine. I'll just have to teach you. Come on."

"What?" I asked, following Jay down an aisle of toddler toys. There were about forty mechanical Elmo dolls all lined up. Jay grinned, and started activating the toys one by one. Soon, there were forty Elmo dolls talking, wiggling around, and practically falling off the shelves. I shook my head with a grin. "You are too easily amused."

Jay shrugged, still grinning. "Maybe."

"All they have are Undertaker ones!"

Jay and I looked up at each other as some kids' voices drifted over the aisle. I raised a brow at Jay, and he nodded with a smirk. We went to the end of the aisle and looked for the kids and the wrestling toys. The kids kept talking.

"Hey! Here's an Edge one!"

Jay and I rounded the corner, smirking, as the two boys - probably twelve or thirteen - dug around the messy display. They didn't notice us right away.

"Yeah," one kid responded to the other, pointing to the package the second kid was holding. "But you have to buy the Christian one with it."

Jay's smile dropped and he jokingly - I hope - cocked his arm back. I set a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong with the Christian one?" I asked. The kids froze, jaws dropping. "Edge has t' beat up someone."

Jay's jaw dropped this time, as he turned to me. The kids' looks of surprise dissolved into smiles.

"Holy crap, it's Matt Hardy and Christian!"

"Dude, you totally rule!" Jay started to smile, but the kid continued. "And Jeff! You're the best tag team ever!"

I grinned and started respond, but his friend, still holding the Edge and Christian action figures, beat me to it. "No way! Edge and Christian are so totally better! They're, like, eight million time tag team champs!"

Jay finally grinned. "Thanks, man -"

The first friend cut him off, pointing to me. "How can you say that? He's standing right there!"

"Dude, **he's** standing right there!" he answered, pointing to Jay. Jay and I laughed.

"Did you guys see the show tonight?" Jay asked, interrupting them.

"No," one kid groaned. "The tickets sold out too fast, my dad said. But I think he was just too cheap to buy them."

Jay and I laughed.

"Was it a good show?"

"I'd like t' think so," I smiled.

"Man," Jay's fan answered. "I wanted to go so bad. That so totally scrapes the bowels of sucktitude."

We laughed again.

"Aaron? Kyle?" A lady pushing a cart looked down the aisle and sighed when she saw the boys. "I should have known to look here first. Let's go."

"Mom! Mom! Can I buy this? Please? Look!" The kid holding the action figures held up the Edge and Christian set and pointed to Jay. "It's Christian! And Matt Hardy!"

"Aaron, you have enough..." she trailed off, finally noticing the uncanny resemblance between the action figure and the man standing before her. "Oh. Hello."

Jay nodded slightly, with a smile.

"I suppose we can make an exception, then," she smiled softly at Aaron.

"Mom! Mom!" The other kid, Kyle, I assumed, interrupted. He had unearthed one of my action figures. "Can I get this? Please? I'll do the dishes for **a week**!"

"Hey! I didn't see that!" Aaron announced. "Maybe there's another! And another Edge and Christian one for you."

"You guys can share," their mom stopped them. "You can get one of each."

"Ok," Kyle sighed, grudgingly.

Aaron turned to Jay. "Can you autograph this?"

Jay patted down his pockets with a surprised look. "I don't think I have a..."

I took a Sharpie out of my pocket and held it out to him.

"Do you always carry those around?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah," I shrugged, as if it were normal to carry around markers. "Y' never know when you'll need it."

The kids grinned, and Aaron held out the box to Jay, which he signed and handed back. Kyle held out my action figure to me and Jay handed me the marker back. Signing it quickly, I handed it back with a smile. "It was nice t' meet you, Kyle."

I shook his hand, and Aaron held his out to me as Kyle shook Jay's hand. "I'm going to make sure that Dad gets tickets next time you guys come to town! You are so cool!"

"Thanks," I grinned, taking his hand. "I'm glad y' enjoy it."

"Oh, these kids love wrestling," their mom sighed. "They never miss a show."

"This is the coolest thing that ever happened to me," Aaron said, awestruck, as he shook Jay's hand.

"It's nice to meet the fans," Jay grinned. "I'm glad you like the show."

"**Love** it," Kyle corrected, grinning back.

"Well, come on, boys, let's go," their mom ordered.

"Aw, man," the boys gripped in unison. Jay and I grinned, and waved as their mom lead them away. When they got past the end of the aisle, we could still hear them talking. "That was the coolest thing. Did you hear Matt call me Kyle? He knew my name!"

"Whatever, dorkzilla. I made Christian laugh!"

Jay and I laughed again as the kids' voices trailed off.

"Dude!" Jay started again, looking at the action figures. "Look at the moronic grin on Angle's action figure!"

I grinned. "Hey, didn't we come here for food?"

"Oh, yeah," Jay shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets, "I'm not really that hungry."

"What?"

"I dunno. We can get a bag of chips or something, if you want."

"Jesus, Jay."

He grinned. "Come on, we can go back to the hotel."

"Are y' sure you're done here?"

He shrugged again. "Yeah."

"Let's just go back, then."

-

Back at the hotel, we went to Jay's room first, since it was closer.

"What are you going to do now?"

"Check out the hockey scores, I guess," I answered, shrugging. "Then go t' sleep."

"Come on in for a while, you can turn on ESPN here."

"All right." I watched Jay curiously. I wondered if he was just bored or not tired, or why he wanted me to stay. Not that I minded, of course. I wasn't really **that** tired and was enjoy spending time with other people, not just by myself. He unlocked the door, flipped on the light, and we went inside.

"Turn that off, you son of a bitch," Adam mumbled. I guess he was sleeping already.

"In a minute," Jay answered, smiling. Apparantly he was used to Adam's polite comments upon waking up. When we got into the room, we found Adam in bed, with a pillow over his head, and another motionless figure in bed next to him. I didn't have to guess who that was. Jeff could sleep through a hurricane, we didn't have to worry about waking him up.

"Jay, y' can stay with me t'night, if y' want."

Jay looked up to me with a crooked smile. "You don't mind?"

"No, he doesn't," Adam answered for me from under the pillow. "Now get the fuck out and turn off that goddamned light."

Jay grinned at Adam again, then picked up a duffel bag and we left.

"Awfully nice," I commented.

"He doesn't really like to be woken up," Jay laughed as I started to unlocked my door.

"Looks like Jeff's been here," I commented, noticing what looked like an explosion on his half of the room. "Y' can have my side, I'll deal with Jeff's mess."

"Thanks, man," Jay said, dropping his bag on my bed as I tried to clear a space on the other. I ended up just shoving all Jeff's clothes on the floor. He'd just have to deal with that later. I heard the T.V. flip on, and Jay flipped right to ESPN.

"What the hell!"

I turned to see what he was looking at. They were talking about the hockey game, naturally. Carolina had won.

"That's shit," Jay muttered, and flipped the T.V. back off again. I just laughed and went to brush my teeth. When I came back, Jay was laying prone on the bed on top of the covers, still fully dressed, and fully out of it.

"Jay?" I asked hesitantly. His only response was steady breathing. Huh. Guess he was tired. That was understandable. It had been a long and random day. I took off my shirt, turned off the light, and went to sleep myself. 


	4. China Moon [3/6]

Where was he?

Another night here alone, Jeff had gone with Adam - **again** - and I was back to _The Lord of the Rings_. I'd moved onto _The Two Towers_, but I'd still rather be doing something else. I had my headphones on, but quietly, so I could hear when Jay knocked on the door.

Where was he?

I turned the page, trying to convince myself to read. He'd show up sooner or later. Wouldn't he? I turned another page, then realized that I hadn't read the previous one. Dammit, forget waiting. If I went to the front desk and asked where he was staying would they be able to tell me? Only one way to find out. I stuck my bookmark back in my book, dropped it on my bed, took off my head phones, and put my boots on. If Jay wasn't going to come to me, I'd go to him.

I hurried down the steps from my third floor room to the lobby and smiled politely at the girl behind the counter.

"Hello, Mr. Hardy, sir," she blushed. A fan, I assumed with a smile. "What can I get for you?"

"I was wonderin' what room Jay Reso was stayin' in," I answered.

"Of course, just a moment," she began typing on the computer next to her then looked back to me. "He's in room 440."

"Thanks," I smiled and went back to the stairs I'd just come from to jog up four floors. When I got to Jay's room, I could see a light through the peephole - a good sign. I just hoped it wasn't Adam and Jeff. I knocked.

"Come in."

"The door's locked, Jay."

"Oh." I heard movement in the room, then the door opened and I found Jay standing there, grinning at me. "Sorry 'bout that."

I grinned back. "I bet."

Jay just turned and went back to his bed.

"What are y' up to?" I asked, stepping in and shutting the door behind me.

"Nothing. Jeff and Adam went out tonight, so I got to keep the room. Sweet deal, huh?" he continued dryly, looking at me dully.

"What'cha watchin'?"

"_Tombstone_."

I crossed the room and sat on the end of the bed next to Jay. "That's a good movie."

"Yeah," Jay looked over at me, then held up a pillow. "Make yourself comfortable."

"Thanks," I grinned, taking the pillow and laying down next to Jay. The movie quickly cut to a commercial. "Where'd Jeff an' Adam go t'night?"

"I dunno, some bar or club or something."

"Jeff doesn't drink," I said, confused.

"Adam doesn't dance," Jay added with a smile. I shook my head, turning back to the T.V.

"I'd never make it in the old west," Jay informed me as the movie came back on.

I laughed. "Why not?"

"I'm too much of a pacifist."

"Says the guy who's smashed me over the head with ladders an' chairs more times than I can remember."

Jay grinned. "You had it coming."

"I bet."

We fell silent again, watching the movie. It wasn't much, I admit, but it was better than sitting by myself. Half an hour must have passed before either of us spoke. Finally Jay turned to me and broke the silence.

"You know what we need, Matt?"

I raised a brow and looked at him. "What's that?"

"Spicy ho fun."

I blinked at him. "Um, Jay, I don't think..."

But before I could finish my sentence, Jay had pulled out a phone book and flipped to the yellow pages. "Jade Garden... The Great Wall... ah! China Moon, take out and delivery!"

I grinned. Chinese food. "How late are they open?"

"Delivery 'til midnight. Must be a college around here or something," Jay grinned as he picked up the phone and started dialing.

"Hello?... Hi, delivery, please... Um, I'm not sure, we're at the Marriott. Let me look." Jay looked around the phone, then finally found and rattled off a phone number. "Room 440. Thanks... Yeah, do you have spicy ho fun? No? Um, all right, I'll have an order of egg rolls and mandarin chicken... Large. Hey, Matt, what do you want?"

"Uh, sesame chicken?"

"Do you have sesame chicken?... Large, too... Can we get an order of fried rice? Ooh, and egg drop soup. Both large. Anything else, Matt?"

"Pot stickers," I added.

"And an order of pot stickers... Steamed... Yeah, that should do it... no, that's all... Reso, R-E-S-O. Yeah, thanks... Bye," Jay hung up the phone and looked to me. "Twenty minutes."

"Not bad. How much?"

"She didn't say. Man, I'm drooling just thinking of it. I haven't had chinese forever. Adam hates it, so we never go."

I laughed. "How can y' hate chinese?"

"That's what I say," Jay answered, shaking his head and leaning back on the headboard to watch the movie. "Can you imagine smoking a cigarette while you're dying of TB?"

I looked back to Jay, confused. "What?"

"Doc Holiday. Dying of consumption and still smoking. I had some cigarettes when I was in high school - nastiest thing ever," Jay continued on. I blinked. Sometimes I wondered where his trains of thought came from. He never ceased to surprise me. "My dad always smoked when I was little. I'm going to sue his ass for every penny he has when I die of lung cancer."

I chuckled and shook my head.

"But he's still cool."

"Your dad?"

"Doc Holiday. Watch this part," he ordered, pointing at the T.V. Billy the Kid was doing tricks with a gun, spinning it on his finger and all, then slid it back in the holster. Then Doc Holiday mimicked that with his little shot glass. I smiled.

"Seen this movie a lot?"

"Yeah, Adam and I watched it together about twenty million times when it first came out. I didn't like westerns then, but Adam raved about this one, so I watched it." Jay shrugged. "He was right."

"Oh," I answered, falling silent. Jeff was a big fan of _American Beauty_, but it didn't sound that interesting to me. So we watched it anyway when we were bored one night, and I realized he was right. Then he made me watching every chance we got there after. I wondered if he had Adam watching it all the time now, too. I think I finally understood why Jay hadn't bothered coming down tonight - after this movie came on, he was probably thinking about Adam.

"What time did I call?" Jay asked, looking at his watch.

"I'm not sure."

"Well, I'm going to run down to the lobby."

"Want me t' come with?"

"Nah," Jay shrugged, grabbing his wallet off the nightstand. "I got it."

"You sure?" "Yeah, no problem. Be right back."

"Ok," I shrugged as he left. Naturally, my thoughts drifted back to Adam and Jeff. Actually, Adam and Jay. There was a good chance that Jay was going through exactly what I was going through. But he probably wasn't as much of a doormat as I was. I wondered if he'd ever confronted Adam about blowing him off since he'd hooked up with Jeff. I wonder what he thought of Jeff. If I hadn't gotten a chance to get to know Adam before he swept Jeff off his feet, I can imagine I wouldn't like him very much. Come to think of it, I did get angry at Adam from time to time, even though I knew it wasn't always his fault.

I realized that I wanted to tell Jay how great Jeff was, and how he shouldn't hate him. Of course, I had no reason to think that Jay didn't like him, but still... how do you bring that up in conversation, anyway? No, I guess I would just let Jay reach his own conclusions. He seemed intelligent enough to figure it out.

After a while, there was a dull thud on the door, as if someone kicked it. "Open the door, Matt."

I jumped up and opened the door, finding Jay standing there, struggling to balance two paper bags. I grabbed one from him quickly and he followed me into the room.

"You got it, huh?"

"I didn't drop anything."

I grinned and opened the bag Jay had handed me. There were two foil tins stacked on the bottom and a small bag with two egg rolls. "I got the pot stickers, sesame chicken, an' egg rolls."

"Ok, I got the rest," he said, proceeding to set two take-out boxes and a dish of egg drop soup on the table. Then he turned the bag over and dumped out a few fortune cookies, a spoon, and chopsticks. "Where the hell are the forks?"

"I think this is all we get," I said, emptying my bag and picking up a set of chopsticks.

"Dammit, I can't use those things!"

"Y' can't?" I asked with a grin, sitting down. "It's simple."

He gave me a dull look. "Right."

"It is. I'll teach you."

Jay picked up a set of chopsticks hesitantly and sat down at the table across from me.

"Break 'em apart," I directed, demonstrating with mine. Jay nodded and did so. "Now grab whatever it is y' want t' eat."

I opened the pot stickers and sesame chicken while Jay grabbed his mandarin chicken, watching me attentively. I gripped the chopsticks and held it up for him to see. "Like this."

He fumbled with the sticks for a moment, so I explained further. "The first one should sit on the top of y' second finger an' the base of y' first. Hold it down with the knuckle of y' thumb. Yeah. An' the second one, jus' hold it between the tips of y' index finger an' y' thumb. See? Easy."

"Right," Jay said, testing the grip. "Easy."

I smiled and picked up a pot sticker. The food was pretty good. Looking up, I watched Jay chase a bamboo shoot around the take-out box. "Try somethin' easier. Like a piece of chicken."

He scowled, frustrated, and shifted his pursuit. The chicken was much easier to handle and he picked it up quickly. "Hey! Got it!"

I smiled as he ate it. "Told'ja."

He went for a second piece, and successfully grabbed that one, too.

"Hey, this isn't bad at all," he smirked, holding up the second piece of chicken. Of course, as soon as he said that, he dropped it on his lap. "Goddammit."

I tried my best to not laugh, but Jay just scowled when he saw my grin. "I'm going to eat the egg rolls, those are easy."

I laughed and opened the fried rice.

"Now how the hell do you eat that?" Jay asked, nodding to the rice.

"Like a spoon. Watch." I dug in and grabbed a small scoop of rice.

"Oh," Jay said, a hint of sarcasm to his voice. "Like a spoon. Watch."

With that, he picked up the spoon that came with the soup and dug a large spoonful of rice with a smirk.

"Pretty clever," I shook my head with a smile. Jay sneered at me and picked up his chopsticks again, deciding to challenge his mandarin chicken once more. He started to get the hang of it eventually and started dropping less and less on himself.

"I guess this isn't so bad," Jay shrugged, expertly handling a bamboo shoot now. I smiled and went back to my chicken.

"Want t' try some?"

"Sure," Jay answered, reaching over for a sample. "I've never had this before."

"It's good. Kinda sweet an' jus' a little spicy."

Jay nodded, tasting it, and held out his take-out box to me. I grabbed some of the noodles and tried them.

"Hey, that's really good," Jay said, sounding surprised. He reached for another piece, but ended up dropping this one on his lap before it reached his mouth. I laughed again.

"Smooth."

He lifted his eyes to me slowly, then grabbed the piece of chicken from his lap expertly with his chopsticks and whipped it at me, nailing me in the forehead. That stopped my laughing.

"That's pretty funny, Jay."

He agreed by nearly falling out of his chair with laughter. While he was distracted, I grabbed the spoon and flung a spoonful of fried rice at him. That stopped his laughing as he looked up at me with shock. I just smirked. At least, until he started throwing bamboo shoots and water chestnuts from his mandarin chicken at me. Then it was war. I got in a few good shots - one right between the eyes with a pot sticker - and so did he. But when he reached for the soup, I decided to take matters into my hands. When I jumped up, he followed suit and we locked up defensively. From there, I got him into a side headlock.

And that's when Jeff opened the door.

Jay and I froze, me still holding him in a headlock and both of us smeared with chinese food, and watched as Jeff practically carried Adam into the room. Adam was stumbling and leaning heavily on Jeff with a goofy smile on his face. Jeff stopped momentarily when he saw Jay and me, so I let Jay go. Jeff just smiled, dragged Adam toward one of the beds, and dropped him on it.

"Uh, hey, guys," Jay finally spoke, hesitantly, trying to clean himself off.

"Hey," Jeff said quietly, as usual, as he tried to take off Adam's shoes.

"Hey, man," Adam said, sleepily. "Dude, is that chinese food? Smells like shit."

"What's goin' on?" I asked Jeff, ignoring Adam's comment and brushing off my clothes, too. "Is he ok?"

"Yeah," Jeff answered, half smiling as he was now trying to take off Adam's jacket. This was harder than it should have been, as Adam was pretty much deadweight and out of it. "He was tryin' t' drink with the big boys t'night."

"Unsuccessfully as usual," Jay grinned, and went to help Jeff. I tried to clean up the food mess a little as Jeff and Jay finally managed to get Adam's coat off so he sleep more comfortably. Jay took the coat and hung it up as Jeff rolled a sleeping Adam onto his side, brushed his hair back lovingly, then kissed him gently on the forehead. Adam smiled at this and grabbed a pillow, curling up to sleep with it. Jay watched them with a slight smile. "He'll be ok. This isn't a first."

"I know," Jeff answered with a smile, not taking his eyes off Adam. I looked over to Jay, who was still watching those two with a soft smile on his face. I could guess that his thoughts were running similar to mine. How cute. It was hard to be annoyed with Jeff and Adam ditching us when they were so cute together. Jay looked over to me after a moment, then came back and sat down across the table from me again, picking up his chopsticks again. He acknowledged the remaining mess with a smile, then peacefully went back to eating his mandarin chicken. After a moment, Jeff came over and sat at a third chair.

"Sweet, chinese. I'm starvin'," he said, breaking apart a third pair of chopsticks and looking over our array of food with a smile. "Sesame chicken, man? Y' always did have good taste."

With that, he started picking around all the food - mine and Jay's both - inhaling it all as usual. Jay watched him go, surprised at how quickly he ate with the chopsticks, then grabbed a fortune cookie and leaned back in his chair to open it. He partially crushed the cookie and pulled out the strip of paper. "'You will have new clothes soon.' What the hell is that?"

I grinned and opened a cookie for myself. Jeff took a short break from eating and looked over to me.

"Y' have rice in y' hair, Matt," he informed me dully, picking it out. "How'd'ja do that?"

I cast a sideways glance to Jay with a slight smirk as he grabbed another water chestnut from his mandarin chicken and chucked it at Jeff, scoring right on the temple. Jeff looked up suddenly, confused, as Jay and I broke out laughing. I shook my head and looked down to the strip of paper sitting in the cookie crumbs in my hand.

_You will find love in an unusual manner._


	5. God-only-knows-where, MN [4/6]

Note: Edge muse would like me to say right here that the Edge in this story isn't based off Adam Copeland/Edge, it's based off a person I know in real life. Edge muse/Edge/Adam Copeland is/are nothing at all like this, I'm sure. I just needed Edge muse to flex his acting muscles for my story. He sucks at acting, however, and that's why we only talk about him in the third person in this chapter.

Oh, I wasn't supposed to say that part.

Anyhow, happy reading!

----------

"Dude, what do you want to do tonight?"

"I dunno," I replied offhandedly as I flicked a paper football across the table through the goalposts Jay was making with his hands. "Do y' want t' go out or stay in?"

"I dunno," Jay shrugged uncommitingly. He picked up the paper triangle and aimed at me as I held up my fingers like goalposts. "What are Adam and Jeff doing tonight?"

"I dunno. Wanna ask them?"

"Sure," he nodded, flicking the paper. "Are they still here?"

"Yeah, I think Jeff was ready t' leave, but Adam still had t' shower b'fore he was ready t' go t' the hotel."

"So go find Jeff."

"Aren't we demandin'," I grinned and flicked the triangle once more at Jay, catching him offguard and hitting him on the forehead. He blinked in surprise.

"A little high, champ."

I grinned. "Y' think I -"

"Matt?"

I stopped and looked up to Jeff. I could tell from his voice that something was wrong, he sounded on the verge of tears. Looking at him only confirmed my first guess. His normally hazel eyes were a clear blue, typical when he was crying - or about to cry. He bit his lower lip nervously, watching me.

"You ok, Jeff?"

"No."

I cast a quick glance to Jay, who was watching Jeff, surprised. I looked back to Jeff. "Jeff? What's -"

"Can we talk?"

"Absolutely," I nodded, getting to my feet. At the last minute, though, I hesitated. "Jay, I -"

"It's all right," Jay dismissed with a wave of his hand. He smiled halfheartedly. "I'll talk to you later."

I smiled back apologetically, then turned back to Jeff. He was studying his platform boots and chewing on his thumbnail. I realized how long it'd been since I'd seen him do that. One of his many bad habits that I'd given up trying to break him of a long time ago. I stuffed my hands in my jeans pockets and stepped up next to him. "What's up, Jeffro?"

He looked up to me as if he was surprised that I was there, then back to Jay, then started walking away. So I followed. He sighed heavily, then returned his eyes to the ground. "I'm sorry, Matt."

"Sorry for what?"

"I got so wrapped up with Adam that I've been completely ignorin' you."

I raised my eyebrows and looked to the ground, too. "Yeah, I noticed that, too."

"I feel really bad about it, honest."

"It's all right, Jeff. I'm happy for you an' Adam."

"But you're my brother, Matt. I mean, shit, you're my best friend. You've always been there for me, and I jus' kinda took it for granted. Y' put up with so much shit from me an' get nothin' in return. I feel really bad."

I smiled and put a comforting arm over Jeff's shoulder. "Jeff, y' don't need t' -"

Before I could finish my sentence, Jeff turned and grabbed onto me, hugging me. I was surprised, but just put my arms around him, too. His body was shaking - he was crying.

"I broke up with Adam."

I was speechless for a minute, so I just held onto him. What? I thought they were happy. They seemed like they could never get enough of each other. They were practically attatched at the hip. "Why?"

"'Cause I'm scared."

I sighed before continuing. Silly me, I had thought Jeff came back to talk to me, but it was actually still about Adam. But I couldn't help but try to make him feel better. I didn't want to see him like this. "What are y' afraid of?"

"I'm not sure," he answered. His sobs were calming down and he slowly let go of me. Instead of responding, I turned my head slightly to find his glance. He looked at me, sighing. "I'm lost. I spend all my time with Adam. I hardly spend time by myself, much less with anyone else - like you."

"D'ya want t' spend more time by y'self?"

Jeff sighed again, then leaned up on a wall. "I think so."

"D'ya want t' break up with him?"

"I love him."

I stopped. Well, that made things difficult. "Then why'd y' break up with him?"

"I don't know."

"C'mon, Jeff, let's go somewhere we can talk."

He nodded and followed me into the locker room so we could get our things together.

-

It might not have been one of my better ideas, but after checking into the hotel, I let Jeff drive to where ever he wanted to go before we stopped to talk. We drove for a long time in silence, going to God-only-knows-where, Minnesota, before Jeff finally shut off the car. Yes, the middle of nowhere. A gravel road. Probably someone's private property. And here we were.

I looked to Jeff, who was still holding onto the wheel as if he was driving somewhere - even though the car was off. After a minute, he let go of the wheel and opened the door of the car. Ok, so now we were going to walk. Good thing it was summer. Fortunately, it was a short walk - to the back of the car - where he hopped up and sat on the trunk, still silent. Slowly, I climbed up and sat next to him.

"What'd he say when y'... y'know."

"I don't know."

"What?"

"I left him a message."

I hesitated. "A message?"

"Yeah, on his cell phone."

"While y' were still in the same buildin'?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't y' tell him face t' face?"

"He was in the shower."

"Why didn't y' wait?"

"Why're y' givin' me the third degree?"

"Sorry." I leaned back against the rear window. How was I supposed to help him when he was acting like that?

He jumped off the back of the car. "Fine, forget it. Let's go back t' the hotel."

I didn't move. "Jeff."

"No, that's it. We'll go back, I'll leave y' alone."

"Jeff."

"Matt, get off the car an' -"

"Sit the fuck down, Jeff."

That stopped him. He looked at me, jaw gaping, then silently obeyed. He wasn't used to me swearing, it must have surprised him. When he was next to me again, I sat up and spoke.

"Why'd y' do it?"

"I was scared."

"Are y' still scared?"

A pause. "Yes."

"Of what?"

"We're too addicted t' each other. Neither of us can spend any more time apart than we physically have to."

"So tell him that y' want t' spend more time alone."

"When I do that, he... well, he pouts."

"Pouts?"

"It's hard t' explain."

"I've got time."

"He's afraid that I'm goin' t' leave him."

"Are you?"

"I don't think so."

"But you're not certain?"

"I can't make any promises."

"Y' said y' love him."

"I'm still young. I'm not ready t' settle down."

"It's not like you're gettin' married."

Jeff gave me a dirty peripheral look, then looked away to the sky again. "I know."

"Jeff, -"

"It's like, if I want t' hang out with you instead of him, he'll ask, 'When will y' be done? Are y' goin' t' call me?'"

"Well, he -"

"Or s'pose I say I want t' read a book. He'll ask, 'F' how long?' I mean, dammit, I jus' want t' sit an' read a fuckin' book. I don't know f' how long. Or if I try t' read while he's in the room, he'll do this," with that, he turned and stared at me with pouting eyes.

"I'm sure -"

"Then he holds ont' me," Jeff said, demonstrating for effect. "An' starts kissin' me."

"I can see how that could get obnoxious," I said, pushing out of Jeff's grip. A couple years ago, I would have killed to be in that situation, I remembered with a sigh. I felt a twinge of guilt after thinking how it was better than him than me.

"That's not even the half of it," Jeff said, leaning back against the car window now.

"How's that?"

"I think that I like him so much that I'm changin' my personality t' better fit his."

"I don't understand."

"We go t' bars all the time anymore."

"So tell him y' don't like bars."

"Well, it's not his fault. I mean, there's not much else t' do. It's not like he's always drinkin'. I jus' don't like the atmosphere."

"Jay an' I seem t' find plenty of things t' do besides go t' a bar."

"Yeah, I know, but -" Jeff stopped and looked at me, confused. "Speakin' of you an' Jay, what's goin' on there?"

"What do y' mean?"

"Y' spend an awful lot of time with him lately."

"Who am I s'posed t' spend time with?" I shot back, defensively.

Jeff shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. "I don't know. It's jus' that every time I see y' two anymore -"

"I thought we were talkin' about you."

Jeff sighed and looked away. "Oh, yeah."

"Y' want advice?"

"I'm not askin' for any, but if y' have some... I'll take it."

"Tell Adam y' need some time f' y'self. Tell him that y' still love him, but the twentyfour/seven thin' isn't workin'."

"He'll think that I don't love him."

"Keep repeatin' that y' do."

"He might cry."

"He'll get over it. Tell him that he can have, like, every other day or somethin'. And be specific. Say, 'I'll see y' on Friday, but Saturday I'm goin' t' hang out with Matt. Then Sunday I'm goin' t' spend the day by myself. An' I'll talk t' you again on Monday.'"

There was a pause. "I'll do it."

"Good."

"An' I'll be happier."

"Good."

Another pause. "I am really sorry, Matt."

"It's ok."

"I do miss you."

"I know."

With that, Jeff hugged me again. I held onto him, trying to comfort him as much as I could. He took a couple of deep breaths, then let me go again. "Now what?"

"Y' need t' talk t' Adam."

"Oh, shit. I guess I do."

"Yup."

"Thanks f' helpin' me."

"No problem."

"I don't deserve a brother like you," he said, half smiling, as he jumped off the car.

"Maybe not, but y' sure as hell need one."

He looked up at me with a slight grin. "I know. An' I appreciate it."

I grinned back.

"Wanna do somethin' t'morrow night?" he asked, digging the car keys out of his pocket.

"What'dja have in mind?"

"I dunno. We can jus' kinda wing it, like we used to."

I smiled as he unlocked my door. "I was plannin' on findin' a gym in the next town, an' -"

"I'll go with you," he cut me off eagerly. I smiled at his excitement. "Can I?"

"Absolutely."

"Cool." With that, he started the car and we headed back.

-

I was surprised to find that Jeff actually knew where he'd gone and got us safely back to the hotel. That surprise was overshadowed by the surprise we found at the door of our hotel room. Adam was sitting next to our door, forearms resting on his knees, loosely holding a cell phone. It didn't take me long to guess why. He raised his eyes to us, slowly, as we approached. Try as I might, I couldn't hold back a slight frown. Addicted, just as Jeff had explained. Looking to my brother, I found Jeff had met Adam's glance, too, but he showed no emotion. I went between them, into the room, grabbed my travelbag, and back out into the hall. They were still watching each other, sheepishly. Jeff was scratching the back of his head.

"Can I have y' room key, Adam?"

He held it up to me without taking his eyes off Jeff. "368."

"Jeff?"

"Yeah?" He looked over to me, distractedly.

"I'll see y' t'morrow mornin'," I said, stoppingly. "Y' ok?"

"Yeah, Matt, thanks. Thanks for everythin'."

"Anytime. 'Night, Jeffro."

"'Night," he repeated distractedly as he looked back to Adam. I took that as my cue to leave and headed down the hall to Jay's room. The lights were out, so I tried to stay relatively quiet. It was kind of late, I bet Jay was asleep. I ducked into the bathroom, set down my bag, and started to brush my teeth. Well, tonight hadn't turned out at all like I expected, I thought with a sigh, stripping down to my boxers. I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. I shut off the bathroom light as I left and tried to figure out which bed Jay was sleeping in through the darkness. Running my hand along the bottom of the nearest bed, I didn't feel any feet. Of course, Jay **was** kind of short.

"Why'd he do it?" A voice called from the other bed.

"Uh, this is Matt."

"I know," Jay assured me, then repeated. "Why'd he do it?"

I smiled to myself and laid down on the near bed, ready for sleep. "It's kinda a long story."

"I figured it would be."

"How did Adam take it?"

"Badly."

"I would think so."

"Are they really done?"

"No," I sighed, pulling the stiff hotel blankets up over my shoulders. "Jeff was jus' havin' a panic attack, I think."

"Huh."

"Yup."

"'Night, Matt."

"'Night, Jay."


	6. Hail, Hail [5/6]

"Wake up!"

I jumped as Jay snapped his fingers in my face.

"Sorry, must have been daydreamin'."

"I could tell," Jay smiled and sat next to me in the near-empty arena hall. "What were you thinking about, so intently?"

"Really wanna know?" I asked, raising a brow that was intended to tell him that he didn't. He just shrugged, so I sighed and admitted, "Jeff."

"Oh," he frowned slightly and looked away. "How was the gym Sunday?"

"Fine," I shrugged. "We had a good time, like we used to."

"Then what's wrong?" he pressed, examining his hands as if to feign disinterest.

"Haven't done anythin' with him since."

Of course, Jay already knew that. "Oh."

"Didja hang out with Adam on Sunday?"

"If you call sitting around in silence and watching T.V. hanging out, yeah, we did."

"Sorry, man."

"Not your fault. We just don't have as much to talk about as we used to. He mostly talked about Jeff. That or suggesting we go work out. For obvious reasons."

"Oh, I didn't -"

"Hey, forget about it. Want to go to a bar tonight?"

"What?"

"A bar. Tavern, pub. Get alcohol."

"I don't really drink much."

"That's ok, someone'll have to drive me home after I get hammered."

"Jay? Are y' ok?"

"I will be, let's go."

-

And that's how I ended up in a booth across from Jay at some posh bar with seven dollar blended drinks. After examining the menu, confused, I ordered a glass of water. I don't know what Jay ordered. I don't think I wanted to know. It was an ugly brown liquid on ice and he grimaced as he drank it. Could have been a number of things.

"Y' don't like that?"

"I love it," he corrected, raising his glass and finishing off the first one in the third drink. Grimacing again.

"Oh." I drummed my fingers on my glass of water, waiting for Jay to explain himself in any way, shape, or form. Nothing but a beckon to the waitress from him. There was a cross between top forty and easy listening music playing a little too loudly, obnoxiously forced 'relaxed' decor, and too much smoke for my taste, but Jay didn't seem to notice any of these things. "Y' ok, Jay?"

"Getting there," he answered, remaining ambiguous.

"Oh," I said, confused still. And we waited. Jay thoroughly examined his fingernails, fidgeting. I don't think I've ever seen him fidget before. I watched him with an amused smile. His hair was pulled back tight enough to give **me** a headache and his blue eyes flitted from his hands to the bar and back again as he waited impatiently. You know, that's a really nice shade of blue. He had a look of cool contentment that was surprisingly appealing.

Matt, stop it. Jay doesn't swing.

Does he?

There was the time that he was reading the articles in _Maxim_...

And how he was resolute in the fact that Adam didn't dance...

No, no, forget it. Impossible. And there was a very good chance that he didn't know that I did. He most definitely didn't know that I had liked Adam... right? Those blue eyes now jumped up to me and saw what must have been a confused look.

"What?"

"I didn't say anythin'."

Jay shrugged, then smiled up at the waitress as she brought him another glass of whatever it was that he'd been drinking. He asked for another right away this time.

"Jay -"

"You know what it is?"

"No," I answered, surprised.

"He's lying."

"Who's lyin'?"

"Jeff."

I sighed. "No, it's not -"

"Yeah, that's it," Jay concluded, ignoring me. "He said he wanted to spend more time with **you**, right?"

"Yeah, but..."

"So he lied. And Adam's not really that bad."

"What?"

"Adam's not that bad. If Jeff would have told Adam what he told you, everything would be exactly like it is now. But it would have saved you a lot of grief."

I started to defend Jeff. "Y' said y'self that y' couldn't talk t' Adam without him talkin' about Jeff."

"Yeah, 'cause Jeff had just broken up with him for no reason. He was confused. I can talk to him any other time and he's normal."

"So it's all Jeff's fault?" I was starting to get irritated.

"No," Jay amended, quickly. "That's no one's fault. I just don't like what Jeff's doing to you."

I started to speak but hesitated. "T' me?"

"Yeah, it's really annoying to see him jerking you around like that."

I once again failed in my attempts to speak.

"Has he always treated you like that?"

"Yeah, he - ...what?"

Jay was talking to fast for me, jumping topics like it was his job. "It's like he's just testing to make sure you'll still be there if he needs you. That's not a friend. A friend's someone who'll sit there and watch their favorite team lose to your favorite team."

I looked up quickly, surprised, and found Jay's face suddenly buried in his glass. He finished this one in one drink. "Jay?"

He set the tumbler down then slowly raised his eyes to mine. "What?"

I blinked.

"I don't know," I shook my head and took a drink of water, very confused.

Jay looked back down to his now empty glass and started swirling the ice in the bottom with the straw he hadn't been using. What was that? Was he bothered by my hanging out with Jeff on Sunday? Why did he care so much? Not to say that I'm not touched by his concern, but where did his concerns lie?

No, he couldn't be... _interested_ in me. Could he?

I looked down to my glass of water. How had I not noticed before that I liked Jay? He was great - funny, intelligent, attractive... Damn. I didn't need another letdown right now. This run-around from Jeff was wearing me down mentally and the last thing I needed was to split my attention between two guys who I couldn't have how I wanted. Jeff, as a brother, and Jay, as a...

Don't even say it, Matt, you're setting yourself up for a letdown...

"What are you thinking about?"

I looked up at Jay, suddenly, realizing that I had now been examining my fingernails and fidgeting. I could feel myself blushing as Jay's clear blue eyes examined my face.

"Here, sir. Would you like another?"

Ah, saved by the waitress.

"No, thanks," Jay smiled up at the waitress. She was a cute brunette with tired hazel eyes and her hair pulled back in a loose bun. See? He was smiling at her. Probably checking her out, too. Forget it, Matt.

Why could I not forget it?

Because of the way Jay and I both turned from her at the exact same time and I was once again confronted by his amused little smirk? That could be it.

"Are you all right?" Jay asked, almost laughing.

I blushed again. "Yeah, why?"

"You look like you're trying to figure your bill."

I looked down to my water, surprised, then up at Jay, who was smirking. "Funny, you're the one who's tryin' t' drink away somethin'."

Jay's smile dropped quickly. That's what I get for talking before I think.

"Trying to say something?" he asked, flatly.

I sighed. "What's wrong, Jay?"

He lifted the new glass to his mouth, but changed his mind at the last minute and sighed. "I've just been thinking a lot lately."

"About...?"

"Mm nn hm..." he mumbled into his glass, taking a short drink now.

"Jay?"

"Maybe I don't want to talk about it."

"Then why'd y' drag me out here?"

Jay looked up at me, almost hurt. "You don't want to be here with me?"

"I didn't say that," I put a hand to my forehead, the confusion giving me a headache. "I jus' want t' know what's wrong. Is it somethin' with Jeff an' Adam?"

"Fuck Jeff and Adam."

"I'll take that as a no."

"Nevermind," Jay sighed, "let's go back to the hotel."

"Jay, I want t' help -"

"I'm sorry, Matt, I made a mistake. I shouldn't have -" he stopped abruptly, blushing.

It was the blushing that gave it away. As it dawned on me, I felt myself start to smile, but I quickly hid it as he lifted his eyes and examined my own through his eyelashes. "Shouldn't have what?"

"Let's just go back."

I shrugged. "If y' insist."

He beckoned for the waitress then I watched him nurse down the last drink in silence. This was probably cruel, not letting him know what I knew. But it would make it that much sweeter when I shared. I started humming a song under my breath. Jay looked up at me, suspiciously.

"What's that?"

"What's what?" I asked, still trying my best to match my earlier blank looks.

"That song."

"_Hail, Hail_."

"_Hail, Hail_?"

"Yeah, Pearl Jam."

"Oh," Jay muttered, looking back to his drink. The lyric for the line stuck in my head, of course, was 'And then I get to thinking... I don't want to think, I want to feel.' I took advantage of this quick opportunity of Jay's distraction and grinned. The waitress approached and I turned my smile to her, offering to pay the bill. She looked to Jay, confused for a moment, but I assured her give me the bill, despite Jay's protests.

"You didn't drink anything, Matt."

"S'ok," I said, sliding a bill in the black book and handing it back to the waitress before she even left. Jay watched me, confused, one last protest falling silent. I got up and dropped my hands into my pockets. "Come on, let's go."

"What are you doing?" Jay asked, not moving and still sounding suspicious.

"What d'y' mean? I thought y' wanted t' go."

"A minute ago I thought you were pissed. Now you're paying for my drinks."

"I'm not pissed," I smiled. "Let's go back."

Not taking his eyes off me, he watched me warily as he grabbed his black leather jacket and followed me.

"I don't get you," Jay announced as soon as we stepped outside.

"No?"

"No."

"Do y' want to?"

Jay stopped in his tracks, but I just kept walking to my car, grinning at no one. After a second, I heard Jay's footsteps at a quickened pace and he caught up to me. I dropped the grin into a smirk and looked at him from the corner of my eye. "What does that mean?"

"What are y' so afraid of?"

"I don't kn-," Jay started, honestly, but stopped himself. "I'm not afraid."

"Oh." I unlocked the car doors and we got in.

"What do you mean, 'what am I so afraid of?'"

"Y' just sound awfully suspicious f' not bein' afraid," I answered flippantly, setting the keys in the ignition.

"What am I supposed to be afraid of?"

I turned to Jay and looked him over in the orange tinted mercury light. I could still see the bright blue shade of his eyes, as they were watching me, slightly paranoid. _Now_, I decided.

_Now_, I re-commanded my hand. _Go. Move._ Great, who was afraid now? What if I was wrong? What if Jay didn't like men? What if Jay didn't like me? It'd taken me this long to find a friend like Jay, and I could kill it with one quick kiss. Was it worth it? But if he felt the same...

Ah, fuck it. All or nothing. With Jay still watching me, I set my hand on his face, closed my eyes, and kissed him.

Well, I can say he wasn't expecting it. He hesitated for a short second before realizing what was going on. Of course, once he got his bearings, he kissed me better than I'd ever been kissed in my life. For once, a gamble that had paid off. It almost hurt when he let go of my face afterwards. I blinked my eyes open and found Jay blushing - but smiling softly. And then he was examining his hands again. "Jay?"

"You're a rat bastard."

I blinked in surprise. "What?"

"You did that on purpose."

"Did what?"

"When did you figure out that I was going to tell you tonight?" He looked up to me sideways, and I saw a smile forming. So I smiled, too.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about."

"You were purposely trying to drive me crazy," he informed me, matter of factly.

I smirked. "Maybe."

"You're a rat bastard."

I turned back to the ignition and turned on the car, still smirking. "Maybe."

I reached for the automatic transmission on the floor and shifted into drive. Before I could get my hand back to the wheel, however, Jay seemed to have claimed it for himself. I looked to him, surprised, but he just smiled and set his fingers between mine.

That's fine, I'll just drive back one handed tonight.

_Hail, hail the lucky ones, I refer to the ones in love..._


	7. Double Date [6/6]

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Jay muttered.

"Relax," I ordered. "You're doin' great."

"You just keep telling yourself that."

"Go ahead, try again. A little harder this time," I directed. Jay repeated his previous motion with a little more force. "Y' almost got it, keep tryin'."

"Still having trouble?" Adam asked from behind us, laughing slightly.

"I don't want to hear anything from you," Jay growled at Adam, but didn't look at him. His face was focused with more attention that truly necessary for the task at hand. "You've done this longer than me, of course you're going to be better."

"Jus' relax, don't think too much about it," Jeff tried to help. He was grinning, too, trying to repress a laugh.

"Goddammit!" Jay cried out, half frustrated and half embarrassed. "You do realize that we're four grown men playing mini-golf, don't you?"

With that, he caught the little blue ball as it rolled from barrier to barrier - no where near the hole - and pitched into the nearest bend of the man-made creek that ran through the park. I snickered.

"I hate this game."

"I can tell," I consoled.

"Then can we play through?" Jeff asked, tossing his red golf ball in his hand. Adam stood next to him, the little club resting on his shoulder, smirking at Jay. Jay narrowed his eyes at Adam and stepped aside, letting Jeff set his ball on the green.

"Hey," Jay turned to me as Jeff took his putt. "What do you say we trade in these stupid clubs for some drivers and go to the driving range while l'il Adam and Jeffie finish the mini-links?"

"Aw, someone's jealous because they suck at putt putt?" Adam cooed in a condescending tone as he lined up his shot. Jay sneered at Adam's back and lifted his club over his head as if to strike.

"Sounds good t' me," I answered quickly, grabbing the club from Jay's hands. He turned to me, slightly surprised, then shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. I looked to Jeff. "We'll be over there, y'guys jus' come on over when y' done."

"Sure," Jeff nodded, and Jay and I turned back up towards the 'clubhouse.'

"Sweet! Hole in one!"

Jay spun quickly and tried to grab one of the clubs from my hand to go injure Adam, but I just kept walking forward, not letting go of the clubs. "C'mon, Jay."

"Show off," he muttered. We finally got to the booth, and I handed the kid behind the counter the clubs. We got a large bucket of golf clubs and two drivers, then headed in the other direction to the driving range.

"I have t' warn you, I'm not very good at this."

"Good," Jay answered, smirking slightly. "That's what you get for dragging me to play mini-golf."

"I happen t' like mini-golf."

"How old are you?" He asked, mockingly. I didn't respond, just set down the bucket between two of the tees. There was no one else out here, which was most likely because it was quarter til eleven and pitch black out. The place was going to close soon and most people had cleared out. I grabbed a golf ball and set it on the flimsy plastic tube as Jay did the same.

"So," I called back to Jay as I swung back to hit the ball, "havin' fun t'day?"

"Eh," Jay answered back. There were two 'whooshes,' as our clubs swung through the air, then two clicks, seconds apart. Jay's ball fell somewhere between the 200 and 250 signs. I'd rather not say where mine landed.

"You didn't even get to the 150 sign!" Jay laughed.

I blushed, turning to grab another ball. "Thanks, Jay. I 'ppreciate that."

"Try again. A little harder this time," he smirked at me. I raised my brow at him, as if to show that I could possibly kill him if I were so inclined. He didn't take the hint. He instead took a southern accent. "Jus' relax, don't think too much about it."

"Shut it, Jay."

He grinned once more and we turned from each other and set up our next shots. "So did you have fun today?"

I sighed, thinking of how hard it had been to convince Jeff and Adam to hang out with us, then how they practically ignored us all night so they could hang all over each other. With my annoyance at them, I took another swing at the golf ball before saying anything snide to Jay.

Wow, it went past the 300 sign.

"Something wrong, Matt?"

I held my tongue. I didn't want to whine at Jay. I'd had a great time with him today. But Adam and Jeff had really brought me down. "No, Jay, I -"

Before I could finish my thought, Jay timidly took my hand. I turned to him, surprised that he was so close, then smiled hesitantly. "What is it?"

"Well... um..." I sighed and started again. "Jeff an' Adam."

Jay frowned, looking away. "Forget them. We've learned our lesson."

I blinked at him, surprised, and he dropped my hand. I'd never heard him say anything bad about Adam before. He walked back to his tee, grabbing a ball as he went, and lined up his shot. Finally, I spoke. "What do y' mean?"

Jay looked up at me and raised a brow. "You won't get mad if I talk bad about Jeff?"

"Um, no," I stuttered, curious as to what he would say. He looked back down again.

"They're nothing but two self-involved drama queens." Click. That one went over by my second shot. My silence seemed to inspire Jay to elaborate. "I mean, last week they were breaking up and... well, you saw them today. We might as well have not been there. I don't know Jeff as well as Adam, but Adam didn't used to be like that."

"Jeff either," I muttered, as we simultaneously reached for another ball.

"And when I told Adam that we hooked up? He didn't give a damn." Click, click. "It didn't used to be like that."

"Jeff used t' be so happy f' me when I found out someone was interested in me," I mumbled, mostly to myself, as I reached for another ball. Jay, however, seemed to have heard me.

"Adam, too."

Click, click.

"It's jus' not the same," I sighed.

"You know, Adam _is_ a great guy, really. But ever since he found Jeff... he just doesn't seem to care about me. I never get to spend time with just Adam. And time with Adam and Jeff, I'm just a... well, a third wheel." Jay sighed and swung his club again, halfheartedly. The ball landed in front of the 200 sign. I frowned. I guess Jay really had been feeling like I did. Jay had never mentioned it directly, and I was beginning to think it was just me. Jay laughed slightly, distracting me away from my thoughts. Click. "That's so fucking cliche."

"Maybe. But it's still true."

Jay hesitated as I turned back towards him, then frowned slightly. "You, too?"

"Well, I didn't know about you an' Adam, but it's damn true f' Jeff an' me."

Jay watched me blankly for a moment, then I turned back to my golf ball and took a swing. Click.

"I didn't know... I mean.. well, I assumed that since he was your brother..."

I grabbed another ball as Jay stumbled through an incomplete thought. "Nope, jus' the same."

Click.

"Oh."

"I'm glad I found you, Jay."

There was a moment of silence, then, "_You_ found _me_?"

"Well, I, ah..."

"I believe it was me who made the first move," Jay retorted, taking another swing. I blinked at him, surprised, then silently stepped up behind him, resting my hands on my club.

"Y' mean the night y' knocked on the closest door so y' could watch y' hockey game and jus' got lucky when it was mine?"

"I... did that on purpose," Jay answered, faltering as he jumped in surprise. He turned to me, his brow knitted with confusion.

"Right, jus' like y' tricked me int' kissin' y' at that bar?"

Jay hesitated, then smirked with a short laugh. "Yeah."

I grinned back at him and was about half a second away from kissing him silly again when -

"We're ready t' go back t' the hotel now."

Now, don't get me wrong, I love my brother dearly. But that does not mean that there are not a countless number of times daily that I want to throttle him to death. This happened to be one of those times. Jay's eyes darkened a moment as he looked over my shoulder and I could tell that he wasn't pleased, either. As it turned out, Adam had driven us all out here, so we had to leave together, too. Not even turning around to face them, I rolled my eyes and answered, "We only have a few more left. We're almost done."

Jay flashed me a quick smile and we both reached over to grab another ball. I don't know about Jay, but I was planning on taking my time.

-

"No, no, I _let_ y' win."

"I doubt that, I beat you by seventeen strokes."

"What are y' tryin' t' say?"

I rolled my eyes. Sure, it sounded cute, but they'd been doing this since they came over to the driving range. _You. No, you. No, you. No, you._ Awww. If I still had that golf club I would have turned around and clobbered them both. Thank God we were finally at the hotel. Jay and I had decided to forgo the formalities that we used to go through with our travel companions and booked rooms together for this trip. And it was a damn good thing that we did because I'd had just about enough of Jeff today.

"Maybe I'm trying to say that you suck."

"I thought y' liked it when I -"

_La, la, la!_ I winced, trying to pretend like I didn't just hear that. That was my little brother for Christ's sake! I cast a glance to Jay, who was examing the carpet of the hotel hallway with a disgusted look on his face. We finally reached Adam and Jeff's room and left them behind without so much as a goodbye. Not that they would have heard it if we had tried.

_You. No, you. No, you. No, you._ Awww.

"Jesus Christ, they didn't even make it in the room."

I looked over to Jay, surprised, and then back to Adam and Jeff. They had opened the door, but were standing in the hallway, trying to swallow each other's tongues. Not that there was anything wrong with that. I'd been thinking of doing that to Jay all day, but I had the decency to wait until we were alone, at least. Seven more doors.

"They were so close, really. One more step and they would have been in their room...." _Five more._ "There's a time and a place for everything, but those two just seem to think that all the times and places are theirs..." _Three._ "I understand that they like each other, but not everyone wants to see that, and..." _One._ I fell back behind Jay as he unlocked our door, still explaining how Jeff and Adam were being inconsiderate. "They'll be alone all night, couldn't they have waited -"

As soon as the door closed behind me, I dropped my luggage, turned on Jay, and gave him that kiss that I'd been waiting all day for. Jay was surprised at first, but cooperated willingly.

"As I was saying, there's a time and a place for everything and..."

"I waited 'til we were in the room," I smirked, picking up my bag again.

-

As I spit my mouthwash into the sink, I noticed how suddenly quiet it had gotten. Jay must have turned off the TV and gone to sleep. I turned off the bathroom light on my way out and found Jay curled up with a pillow on half of the bed. Yes, half of the bed. He had carelessly - or care_ful_ly, I was still debating which - booked us a room with one bed. I smiled to myself, climbed onto the bed, and reached over Jay to turn off the lamp.

"Hey."

I nearly fell out of the bed when he reached up and grabbed my arm. "Christ, Jay, I thought you were asleep."

He laughed slightly, sounding half asleep. "Almost. I was just thinking."

"Yeah?" I asked, laying back down again. Jay didn't let go of my arm, so I left it draped over him, feeling comfortable like that, and rested my head on the back of his pillow. Funny, I'd never noticed how nice his hair smelled before. Wait, wait, you're in the middle of a possibly important conversation. Right. "About what?"

"Adam and Jeff."

I sighed. "I thought y' said t' forget them."

"I did," Jay answered quietly. "But I can't help but wonder..."

"What?"

"Do you hate Adam?"

"What?"

"Well, I guess hate is a strong word. Do you blame Adam for how Jeff treats you now?"

I sighed. "Now? No. I did at one point in time, but after that stunt Jeff pulled in Minnesota, I realized Adam's not drivin' him crazy, he's drivin' himself crazy."

Jay shifted slightly, moving closer to me, then set his hand on top of the one I laid on his stomach and interlocked his fingers with mine. "It's not all Jeff's fault. Adam does have an unusual ability to get what he wants, one way or the other."

"You don't have t' defend Jeff."

"You don't have to defend Adam."

I hesitated. "So how does this change things?"

"What things?"

"Well, are we goin' t' jus' stop talkin' t' Adam an' Jeff?"

"Do we really have a choice?"

"It's not that bad..." I trailed off and sighed, remembering how I really haven't talked to Jeff since I told him to get back with Adam. "Ok, I guess it is."

"Yup," Jay muttered.

I stopped. "Y'know the odds that Adam an' Jeff are thinkin' of us right now are slim t' none, right?"

"I know," Jay sighed. "So I guess we shouldn't waste our breath on them either, huh?"

"That's what I was thinkin'."

"Especially when we can be doing much more productive things."

I smirked. "Really? Like what?"

"Sleeping," Jay answered, shutting off the light.

"Has anyone ever told y' that you're a tease?"

"Nope," he muttered, burying himself further into my arms. Yes, he really was going to sleep.

"Well, y'are."

No response. I kissed the base of his neck softly and was met with soft, even breathing. He was sleeping already. I smiled to myself as I closed my eyes to follow him off around the bend.

Well, he wasn't Jeff. But that was ok.

More than ok. 


End file.
